WEDNESDAY, MARCH 17, 2010 >>>

1. It's St. Patrick's Day. Time to party.

2. The Pierce County Arts and Cultural Planning Community Forum will gather opinions at 4:30 p.m. inside the Soundview Building. Go help plan the arts.

3. Screw green beer; let's climb a wall at 5:30 p.m. inside the Centre at Norpoint.

4. The Sixth Avenue Progressive Dinner visits 6 Olives, Origin 23 and Studio 6 Ballroom at 5:30, 6:15 and 7 p.m. Dance to jazz and blues by Maia Santell & House Blend from 7:30-10:30 p.m. at Studio 6. Reserve your spot here. 

5. The Fort Steilacoom Choir and Olympic College Chamber Choir joins the Pierce College Concert Band in Bernstein's "Chichester Psalms" and Smith's "Don Quixote Symphony #3" at 7:30 p.m. inside the Lagerquist Concert Hall at PLU.

LINK: Movie showtimes in the South Sound

TUESDAY, MARCH 16, 2010 >>>

1. Bestsellers - the independent film that was written, shot, edited and produced entirely in Tacoma - will screen at 6:45 p.m. inside The Grand Cinema. A Q&A session with writer and editor Rick Gratzer about the film and production process will follow the screening.

2. Author Matt Hern will discuss his book, Common Ground in a Liquid City: Essays in Defense of an Urban Future, at 6 p.m. inside Orca Books. It's an engaging look at the future of urban life.

3. The Banned Book Club will discuss Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott and cocktails at 7 p.m. inside the Tempest Lounge.

4. The Urban Onion in Olympia hosts Tough Guys Tuesdays film night at 7 p.m. The action double feature will include drink specials.

5. Kareem Kandi hosts an open jazz jam at 9 p.m. inside SAX Restaurant.

LINK: Music showtimes in the South Sound

MONDAY, MARCH 15, 2010 >>>

1. The Dana Lupinacci Band performs blues at 8 p.m. inside The Swiss.

2. Carolyn Burt's Boogie, Blues and all that Jazz paintings are on display at the Proctor Art Gallery from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

3. The Lakewood Big Band will perform music to dance to from 7-9 p.m. inside The Royale Lounge in Olympia. Jazz singer LaVon Hardison will perform after.

4. The movie FRESH - which celebrates the farmers, thinkers and business people across America who are re-inventing our food system - will screen for free at 7 p.m. inside the Tacoma Public Library's Main Branch.

5. DJ Jason Diamond now spins roots reggae every Monday at 9 p.m. inside O'Malley's Irish Pub.

LINK: Movie showtimes in the South Sound

SATURDAY, MARCH 13, 2010 >>>

1. The Mob Ride presents "The Great Leprechaun Hunt" - its fourth bicycle booze cruz - pushing off from The Acme Grub Cage at 7:30 p.m. If the past three rides have been any indication you can expect 30-plus riders on a wide variety of bike models visiting four pubs/bars with a traveling distance of 1.5 miles between drinks.

2. The non-profit Tacoma Art Place invites the community in for free art classes from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. During their Community Free Day you may learn about pottery wheels, photography, sewing, making ripped paper collage paintings and much more.  A list of the free art classes can be found here.

3. MOVE! #16 features dancers from Seattle's Spectrum Dance Company, MLKBallet company, Tacoma City Ballet members, and guests Josephine's Echopraxia and the Maureen White Dance Company at 2 and 7 p.m. inside the SOTA Theater. Local musicians Goldfinch, Olivia de la Cruz and Travis Barker and the Black Sails will perform live to several pieces for MLKBallet.

4. Jazzbones presents "A Night With DJ Donald Glaude" with DJs dAb and Haaps beginning at 9 p.m.

5. The Revengers and The Fucking Eagles perform at 9 p.m. inside Doyle's Public House.

LINK: Movie showtimes in the South Sound

FRIDAY, MARCH 12, 2010 >>>

1. Tacoma poet Tammy Robacker reads from her book The Vicissitudes at 8 p.m. inside Vinum Coffee & Wine Lounge. There will be an open mic following her reading. Readers, poets, and spoken word artists are encouraged to come share poetry that addresses topics of Women, Women's History, Women's Issues, Women's Roles, or challenges that face women.

2. Speaking of poetry, the Puget Sound Poetry Connection and Tacoma Arts Commission bring in poet Allen Braden for the Distinguished Writers Series at 7 p.m. inside King's Books. An open mic follows Braden's performance.

3. Banff Mountain Film Festival selections that explore environmental, adventure or adventure-related themes - including BASE-jumping, snowboarding and mountain climbing - will screen at 7:30 p.m. at the Capitol Theater.

4. Brooklyn Pool, James & The Giant Bitch, Santee, and The Moo play a 9 p.m. show at Bob's Java Jive.

5. The Missionary Position and Where Sails Meet Rails perform a free show inside Doyle's Public House at 9 p.m.

LINK: A bunch of movies open today

THURSDAY, MARCH 11, 2010 >>>

1. The crafty group Tacoma Is For Lovers hosts another Craft Night, this time welcoming Tacoma artist Chris Sharp who will introduce collage using a 1980s book on break dancing as source material at 7 p.m. inside King's Books.

2. Artists Sarah Utter, Karen Utter and Lynne Farren's Animal Abecedary opens at 6 p.m. with an artist reception at the Handforth Gallery.

3. The first Academy Award winner for Best Picture Sunrise will screen at 7 p.m. inside the Washington Center.

4. Fulcrum Gallery presents Ambient Night featuring rising stars in barbaric harmony Going Shopping and Humble Cub at 8 p.m.

5. Big Wheel Stunt Show, Paris Spleen, Handlebar Mustangs, and Brotherhood Of The Black Squirrel perform at 9 p.m. inside Hell's Kitchen.

LINK: Movie showtimes in the South Sound

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 10, 2010 >>>

1. The Purcell Brothers - Evan and Ryan — will perform at 7 p.m. inside the Tempest Lounge.

2. South Sound companies that exhibit successful, innovative approaches to utilizing or developing technology for the purposes of business sustainability will be given SHIFT Awards from 5-8 p.m. inside the Theatre on the Square.

3. Fresh, the film that celebrates the farmers, thinkers and business people across America who are re-inventing our food system, screens at 6 p.m. inside the Rausch Auditorium on the University of Puget Sound campus.

4. The Golden West Restaurant and Lounge presents Bluegrass Night hosted by Shotgun Red every Wednesday at 6 p.m.

5. Machina Mageddon, Fallen, State of Murdoch and City By Sea will rock Hell's Kitchen at 9 p.m.

LINK: Movie showtimes in the South Sound

TUESDAY, MARCH 9, 2010 >>>

1. Hazel and Vine play an all-ages show with Lybecker and The New Divide at 7 p.m. inside The Cake Room.

2. Pierce College Fine Arts Gallery shows Korean artists from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

3. The Auburn City Hall Gallery will hold an artist reception for Mick Klass and his urban night photography work from 5:30-7 p.m.

4. The Centre at Norpoint hosts a Beginning Climbing Class from 6-7 p.m. Participants will learn how to correctly put on a harness, tie appropriate knots, handle rope, use belay equipment and properly communicate with climbing partners.

5. The Hub hosts a Trivia Night with cash prizes beginning at 6 p.m.

LINK: Movie showtimes in the South Sound

MONDAY, MARCH 8, 2010 >>>

1. Patricia Cosgrove, director of the White River Valley Museum in Auburn, will lecture on "Suffer for Beauty: Revealing Washington Women's History through the Study of Undergarments" at noon inside the State Capital Museum.

2. The Graphic Novel Book Club will discuss DMZ, Vol. 1: On the Ground by Brian Wood and Riccardo Burchielli at 7 p.m. inside the 1022 South lounge.

3. Community West African Drumming and Dance class will be held at 7:30 p.m. inside The Loft on Cherry in downtown Olympia.

4. The Al Earick Band will fill The Swiss with blues beginning at 8 p.m.

5. It's another Rebel Monday/Industry Night with DJ Jason Diamond spinning roots reggae at 9 p.m. inside O'Malley's Irish Pub. 

LINK: Movie showtimes in the South Sound

SATURDAY, MARCH 6, 2010 >>>

1. Now in its seventh year, the Old Town Jazz & Wine Festival will once again offer tasty jazz and cool wines, all in an effort to support the Tacoma Old Town Park Performance Stage Project - which aims to build a permanent outdoor stage in Old Town Park. The festival runs from 4-10 p.m. inside the Slavonian Hall.

2. Local actors bring Washington state historical figures alive to discuss unsolved mysteries during Ghosts of the Great Hall at the Washington State History Museum from 1-3 p.m.

3. A film discussion will follow the 1:45 p.m. screening of A Town Called Panic at The Grand Cinema.

4. Brooklyn Pool will play an all-ages show at 3 p.m. inside Rocket Records.

5. The Survive The Darkness Haiti Benefit features Kimya Dawson, Congratulations, Mirror Mirror, Western Hymn, and Rainbow Bridge at 5 p.m. inside the Loft on Cherry.

LINK: Movie showtimes in the South Sound